The Ashanti Region Seedling Contractors Association has called on the government to as a matter of urgency pay the over GH¢2.3 billion it owes its members for the supply of seedlings for the tree planting exercise during the Green Ghana Day celebrations for 2021 and 2022.
According to the association, several engagements with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Forestry Commission for the government to pay them have been unsuccessful despite the many assurances.
The members of the Association say they are currently frustrated as they are constantly being harassed by banks they secured loans from to procure the seedlings.
Speaking to Citi News, the Secretary of the Ashanti Region Seedlings Contractors Association, Gloria Amponsah called on President Akufo-Addo to intervene in ensuring that they are paid to lessen their burden.
“The situation is really hurting us. A lot of people are in trouble and the law courts are attacking them. We have gone to the Forestry Commission several times to no avail, sometimes we even sleep there but all the promises have not come true.
“When we go there, they treat us like we are not humans, they don’t feel for us, As I stand here I have five children, I went in for a loan but when we go there they treat us like we are not part of Ghana. And so we call on Akufo-Addo, please come to our aid.”
AfCFTA, the world’s largest free trade area creating a single continental market with a combined GDP of approximately US$ 3.4 trillion is the new dawn for Agribusiness across Africa offering job opportunities and Food security, a consultant for GIZ, Dode Seidu stated.
A Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, Yaw Frimpong Addo has indicated that budgetary allocation to the agriculture sector is insufficient considering the workload of the Ministry.
According to him, there is so much to do to achieve the targets in the agriculture sector.
Speaking at a learning event organised to share insights from the implementation of the USAID-AGRA PIATA programme, Mr. Addo called for more donor funding to help the ministry execute its objectives.
“There’s so much to do at the ministry that the budgetary allocations alone cannot let us achieve whatever objectives we set. That is why we continually rely on donor partners such as USAID and AGRA that have consistently funded policy initiatives in Ghana’s agriculture. Agriculture starts from policy formulation and seed production. The private sector which includes donor partners plays a critical role at the core of agriculture hence, my call for more support,” he said.
Over the last 5 years, AGRA with funding from USAID has increased its efforts towards contributing to an inclusive agriculture transformation in Ghana under the Partnership for Inclusive Agriculture Transformation in Africa (PIATA).
Country Manager for AGRA in Ghana, Juliette Lampoh highlighted some recommendations needed to improve the agriculture sector.
“In spite of the successes we have achieved, we have noticed that there are yield gaps. We might have increased yields but we still have most crops doing less than 60% of achievable yields. So, our recommendations include working harder, ensuring that farmers have access to improved quality seeds of diversified varieties, ensuring farmers use the right soil fertility management technologies and ensuring that the private sector is actively participating. Also, we’re working with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to include the private sector in policy formulation so that the farmer, ultimately, will produce more and profitably,” she emphasised.
The USAID-AGRA PIATA programme focused on Increasing farmers’ access to quality seeds and fertiliser; improving the enabling environment for private sector participation in the input system; and strengthening smallholder farmer resilience
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has indicated that it will need the support of security services to halt the devastating effect of illegal mining, also known as galamsey on the cultivation of the crop.
The European Union (EU) has already warned that it may be forced to boycott the purchase of Ghana’s cocoa if deforestation and illegal mining of cocoa farms are not stopped.
Speaking to Joy Business, Head of Public Affairs at COCOBOD, Fiifi Boafo said the fight requires the full support from state agencies and the security forces.
He stated for example that, the operations of illegal miners take diverse forms that can only be stopped by security agencies trained to combat such crimes.
“The illegal miners are still in the business. Unfortunately, and it’s affecting us, it is affecting production, it’s affecting farm lands and it’s affecting lands that are linked to these cocoa farms,” he said.
Mr. Boafo also lamented that the situation has been compounded by fact that some cocoa farmers have been deceived to sell their farms to illegal miners who promise instant rewards.He pointed out that such illegal miners must be arrested for destroying farms and forest reserves.
According to him, COCOBOD has intensified education to farmers not to release their farmlands for illegal mining works since it is against the law.
“That is also another major challenge that COCOBOD is fighting to resolve. We have engaged farms of farmers that have been converted to illegal mine sites. It has not solve the problem. We are still exploring other means of addressing the issue but it remains the major challenges to us and then we need everyone’s support and assistance and collaboration to get things done, “he said.
Mr. Boafo stressed that there must a collaborated effort to protect cocoa farms since it is a major source of foreign earnings for Ghana for decades.
“The security agencies must come in, the media, we expect to continue the course to ensure we stop this illegal acts because of its effects on our country so yes the collaboration is expected,” he appealed.
As Northern part of the country starts witnessing some rainfall, the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has warned farmers in the area not to start farming now because of climate change.
Northern part of the country has only one major rainfall for farmers which normally begins around May and June every year unlike the southern sector with minor and major rainfall.
However, the Northern region and some parts of other regions in the North have been experiencing series of rainfall in the month of March this year due to climatic change which is likely to motivate some farmers to start farming.
But, GMet has educated that the rains will be accompanied by heavy winds, and after that period, it is likely dry season will take over which will make cultivation fruitless.
The acting Director-General of GMet, Eric Asuman, admonished farmers to wait for their seasonal rainfall to cultivate and harvest.
Mr Asuman assured the farmers of constant communication to alert them when the cultivation time is due.
Due to the climate changes, he advised farmers to be wary of bush burning, which is the major cause of fire disasters.
Ghana Cocoa Board’s (COCOBOD) Anti-smuggling Task Force in collaboration with the security agencies, has within two weeks, retrieved over 1,500 bags of cocoa, en route to being smuggled to neighbouring countries.
According to the Director of Special Services at COCOBOD, Mr. Charles Amenyaglo, the win scored against smugglers between the first two weeks of March was through a system instituted by COCOBOD, which comes with incentives for collaborators.
He disclosed that the beans originated from the Western North and Volta regions while arrests were made in the Greater Accra, Volta and Western North regions during the transit of the cocoa beans.
In the Greater Accra region, the Mamprobi Police Unit on March 6, following a tip-off intercepted 508 bags of standard cocoa beans and 72 bags of cocoa waste beans which were transported from Sefwi Bekwai in a Howo Truck with registration number GS 854-21.
The driver, Abdul Rahman Amadu alleged that he was contracted at a lorry station to load the cocoa beans to Accra.
He was in the process of re-bagging the beans from jute sacks into polythene sacks in order to evade security checks when he was arrested at a school in Mamprobi, which served as the offloading point.
Rahman and two others believed to be labourers have been granted bail with one surety each and are to reappear before Circuit Court 6 in Accra on April 13.
According to Mr Charles Amenyaglo, the cocoa beans were released to COCOBOD the next day to prevent deterioration.
“The beans were not thoroughly dried before they were transported and some were drenched in rainwater through transit. We had to immediately evacuate them to our Take-Over Centre at Tema for drying, reconditioning and rebagging”.
Following this, 511 bags of good cocoa beans, weighed 64kg per bag and 123 bags of waste cocoa beans weighed 50kg per bag were collected.
The Anti-Smuggling Taskforce of COCOBOD also saved about 399 bags of cocoa beans from smugglers who were carting them from Dunkwa-on-Offin and Sefwi Bekwai in the Western North region to the Ivory Coast on March 13.
The trucks with registration numbers, AS 885 – 19 and AS 7457 – 17 have been impounded while the drivers have been granted police enquiry bail pending further investigations.
Meanwhile, a 42-year-old Nigerian national, Isaac Oluwaje who claims ownership of 406 bags of cocoa beans, which was intercepted by a surveillance team of the Special Services Directorate of COCOBOD while being conveyed to Togo through the Volta region, has also been arrested.
Oluwaje claims he bought the cocoa through a business contact at Bonsu Nkwanta in the Western North region for reselling in Togo.
Together with the driver of the track with registration number GX 7632 – 14, Oluwaje had rebagged some of the cocoa beans in poly sacks to avoid detection.
Both are still in Police custody after failing to meet bail conditions following arraignment before the court.Also in the Volta region, a Circuit Court in Denu has remanded two suspected cocoa smugglers into custody.
The suspects, the acclaimed owner of the beans, Ebenezer Tetteh and a truck driver, Francis Awuah were arrested on March 13 following a collaborative operation between COCOBOD and the Aflao Command of the National Investigation Bureau (NIB).
The truck with registration number GX 8579 – 22 moved uninterrupted through the Tema Motorway in the Greater Accra region to the Volta region where they were arrested while crossing Ghana’s major border post to Togo.
Mr. Amenyaglo described it as worrying, that discreet checks showed that the truck drove past officials of other State Security Agencies unchecked until it was stopped by an NIB officer at the border.
He also disclosed that attempts were made to influence the officer with an amount of 25,000 cedis to release the truck of cocoa beans.
He said COCOBOD will continue to work with Security Agencies to thwart the efforts of smugglers and called for the public to volunteer information to help arrest culprits. He assured of anonymity and reward for all informants.
In Ghana, the law requires Cocoa farmers to sell their cocoa beans to certified Purchasing Clerks who act as agents of the Cocoa Marketing Company, a subsidiary of COCOBOD that oversees the purchase of cocoa beans on behalf of the government.
Ghana recorded a shortfall of 300,000 metric tonnes of cocoa in the 2021/2022 crop season, the lowest in 15 years due to a myriad of challenges including over-aged plants and climate change. There are fears that smugglers would worsen the shortfall in the current crop year if not nipped in the bud.
People have been illegally transporting, or smuggling, cocoa beans between Ivory Coast and neighbouring Ghana for many years.
Cocoa smuggling between Ghana and Ivory Coast is quite common, with its direction shifting back and forth depending on the price difference between the two countries.
Ivory Coast raised its cocoa producer price per bag by nine per cent from 825 to 900 CFA franc.
The cedi equivalent of the 900 CFA Franc per bag of cocoa weighing 64-kilogramme gross is GH₵850.
Ghana also raised the producer price of cocoa by 21% to GH₵800 per bag for the 2022/2023 season effective October 7, 2022.
The producer price for 2022/2023 cocoa season by 21%, far higher than the nine per cent in Ivory Coast, the price per bag in Ghana is GH₵800 which is GH₵50 lower than the GH₵850 per bag in Ivory Coast.
The sharp depreciation of the cedi last year is said to be the reason the price per bag is higher in Ivory Coast despite that country raising the farmgate price by just nine per cent compared to the 21% increase by Ghana.
People have been illegally transporting, or smuggling, cocoa beans between Ivory Coast and neighbouring Ghana for many years.
As long as buyers in Ivory Coast will pay more for Ghana’s higher-quality beans, the smuggling is lucrative.
Ghana recorded a shortfall of 300,000 metric tonnes of cocoa in the 2021/2022 crop season, the lowest in 15 years due to a myriad of challenges including over-aged plants and climate change.
There are fears that smugglers will worsen the shortfall in the current crop year if not nipped in the bud.
It is the illicit flow of cocoa from Ghana to her next-door neighbours that constitutes the major loss of economic wealth Ghanaian security officials at the borders who permit smuggling should be dealt with ruthlessly for causing financial loss to the state.
GB Foods, the company behind the popular Gino brand, has announced plans to invest US$70million into tomato production and processing in a major boost for tomato production in the country.
The project involves establishing two industrial farms, each spanning approximately 5000 hectares, accompanied by a factory to process fresh produce. The goal is to help the country achieve self-sufficiency in tomato production and become an export hub for not only the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), but also the entire African continent.
GB Foods’ Corporate Affairs Director, Dr. Teddy Ngu, said the project is expected to create about 5000 direct jobs, in addition to indirect jobs. “We are enthusiastic about making a significant impact in Ghana and beyond.”
He said the company is currently in the process of identifying suitable lands in Accra Plains, Afram Plains and Bui Plains – where soil, hydrology and topographic tests will be conducted to ensure the veracity of the land.
This is being done in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Trade, and other agencies like Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA).
“Once the tests are completed, the team will move to the next phase, which involves conducting agronomic trials to determine the suitable seed for the full-scale project,” Dr. Ngu added.
The company expects to conduct the seed trials this year and receive the results by March or April of next year.
“If the land is identified this year, the full-scale project will commence in the 2024-25 season. The project will require factories that can process at least 1500 metric tonnes of fresh tomatoes per day, with an estimated combined processing capacity of 3000 metric tonnes of fresh tomatoes per day,” Dr. Ngu stated.
GB Foods Supply Chain Director for Africa, Chattopadhyay Rajib, said the factory boasts a total capacity of approximately 250,000 metric tonnes of tomatoes. Currently, the company produces around 350 tonnes per day and plans to invest US$2million each year in capital expenditure to expand its facility to meet consumer demand.
In all, he added that an estimated US$40million has been invested in the factory so far.
Meanwhile, the company plans to install a solar panel to power the factory to replace 30 percent of its energy requirements. The solar panel project has been approved and will cost approximately US$2million, he added.
This project is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2023.
“In terms of cost savings, it’s not an overnight process; but as we progressively cultivate and reach full capacity, we won’t need to import anymore. This will lead to improved production economics, cheaper rates, and a reduction in cost which we can pass on to consumers,” Mr. Rajib said.
The company already exports its products to economies within ECOWAS, with plans to expand to other African countries, such as Guinea Conakry and Rwanda.
GB Foods aims to leverage the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement and the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme to manufacture and distribute its products across borders.
Dr. Teddy Ngu added that: “We are excited to work with the Ghanaian Government and trade officials to make this a reality. Our vision is for Ghana to become an export hub and a food basket for not only ECOWAS, but also for the entire African continent”.
The backward integration project, a form of vertical integration in which a company expands its role to fulfil tasks formerly completed by businesses up the supply chain, for tomato production in Ghana is a significant step toward achieving food security in the region.
The investment, therefore, demonstrates GB Foods’ commitment to supporting local farmers and promoting sustainable agriculture practices in the country.
The company has a presence in Europe and Africa, operating in approximately 30 European countries and almost 24 African countries.
Globally, its turnover is around €1.5billion, and in Africa, the company has independent businesses in Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, Western Francophone and Central East Africa.In Ghana, GB Foods’ business is almost worth GH¢1billion, with its tomato mix products being market leaders.
“Our factory and head office, combined, employ almost 1000 people, making us a reasonably large organisation in Ghana. We are ambitious to support Ghana by creating jobs, reducing the demand for scarce foreign exchange, and becoming an export hub for our products. Our brands are well-known across different parts of the country, including Gino rice, Ginomax seasoning tablet, and baked beans,” David Kofi Afflu, General Manager of GB Foods Ghana, said.
About 77 percent of the total registered 76 trawlers operating in the country’s waters have been denied license renewals for failing to meet seaworthiness requirements, Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Minister (MoFAD) Mavis Hawa Koomson has revealed.
In July last year, the ministry issued a directive on specifications of gear to be used by industrial trawlers and vessels for fishing. The directive also includes ensuring safety of vessels operating in Ghana.
The objective of the gear specification is to avoid catching small pelagic fishes and allow juvenile fishes to escape through nets in order to replenish current depleting stocks.
Speaking at the 2023 Ocean Conference in Panama this month, Madam Koomson disclosed that only 25 trawlers out of the registered 76 have received seaworthiness licenses and are currently fishing.
The remaining 51 have been banned from fishing in the country’s waters.This was as a result of implementing these two measures, she said, adding:
“I have personally and recently participated in port inspection of catches of industrial trawlers from sea trips and can confidently say there are no more catching of juvenile and small pelagic species by these trawlers.”
In order to maintain the gains, the minister said plans are being finalised to ensure that all industrial trawlers and tuna vessels licensed in Ghana are using electronic monitoring systems – with a pilot system starting in June this year.Illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing remains one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems in Ghana due to its ability to undermine national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks.
The challenge has been contributing to depleting fish stocks and threatening marine biodiversity, livelihoods, exacerbating poverty, and worsening food insecurity.
The country loses over US$200million annually due to IUU fishing, data from the Environment and Natural Resource Research Initiative (ENRRI – EfD Ghana) has shown.
The country, according to the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), loses some US$50million each year to ‘saiko’ – the practice of trans-shipping fish at sea from industrial trawlers to specially adapted canoes, which has currently been brought under control by MoFAD.
Illegal fishing has a devastating cost on the region as the UN estimates that nearly 40 percent of all fish caught in West Africa are done so illegally, resulting in a loss of US$2.3billion annually.
Under Ghana’s laws, illegal fishing activities attract fines of between US$100,000 and US$2million, or a minimum of US$1million for taking on board juvenile fishes, using prohibited fishing gears or fishing in prohibited zones – e.g., the Inshore Exclusive Zone reserved for artisanal fishers. Minimum fines can increase to US$4million in the case of repeated offences.
However, many offenders are able to find alternatives to beat such harsh punishments.
As part of efforts to help increase farm profitability and ensure that the root cause of poverty is addressed for cocoa farmers in Africa, the National Fair Trade Platforms of Ghana, Fair Trade Ghana Network (FTGN) comprising the Ivorian Fair Trade Network (RICE) and the French Fair Trade Platform (Commerce Equitable France) met in Accra, Ghana to discuss and identify the challenges and opportunities in the Cocoa sector.
The Deputy Minister of trade and industry Hon. Okyere Michael Baafi has admonished farmers and value chain players to embrace agric-tech for maximum production and income earning.
